Latest Cuckoo Stories
Reed warblers use mobbing as a front line of nest defense against parasitic cuckoos, according to a new report published online on January 29th in Current Biology, a Cell Press publication. Cuckoos act as parasites by laying their eggs in the nests of other birds, reed warblers in particular, burdening their hosts with the trouble of raising young that don't belong to them."Historically, determination of the effectiveness of nest defense against brood parasitism has proven...
JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Scientists trying to photograph wild tigers deep in the Indonesian jungle captured a glimpse of another endangered species instead - the Sumatran ground cuckoo. An Indonesian-British surveying team released rare images of the short, brown fowl, with black and green plumes, taken with a sensor-triggered, camera. The bird, apparently startled by the flash, is seen gazing into the lens with spread wings. "Finding the Sumatran ground cuckoo gives me hope, because it was...
Latest Cuckoo Reference Libraries
The Common Hawk-cuckoo (Cuculus varius) also commonly called the Brainfever bird, is a species of cuckoo that occurs in Punjab, Pakistan east across much of the Indian peninsula, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. It is found at altitudes of 2600 feet in the Himalayas. Most birds are resident but ones that occur at higher altitudes or in arid regions are locally migratory. Its habitat is dry deciduous forests, where it is mostly solitary. It is called Hawk-cuckoo as it resembles a sparrow hawk....
The Great Spotted Cuckoo (Clamator glandarius) is a species of Cuckoo that is widespread through southeast and southwest Europe and western Asia. It is migratory and winters in Africa. It prefers areas of warm open country with trees. The adult has a slender body. It has a gray upper body, long tail and strong legs. Its cap and wings are gray, face and upper breast is yellow, and underparts are white. Sexes are similar. Young have blackish upperparts and cap, and chestnut primary wing...
The Pied Cuckoo (Clamator jacobinus) also known as the Pied Crested Cuckoo or Jacobin Cuckoo, is a species of bird in the cuckoo family which includes roadrunners, anis, and the Hoatzin. It is found in Africa south of the Sahara Desert east to India, Sri Lanka and Burma. It is migratory, but only over short distances. The more northerly birds and those at higher altitudes leave for warmer and wetter areas in the winter. Its habitat is scrub, wetlands and cultivation. This is a large...
The Guira Cuckoo (Guira guira) is a social species of bird belonging to the cuckoo family. It is found in open and semi-open habitats of eastern and southern Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, and northeastern Argentina. The adult Guira Cuckoo is approximately 13 inches in length. It has whitish-beige underparts and rump, dark brownish upperparts, a generally white-tipped dark tail that is somewhat long. It has an orange-beige crest, and heavy orange-yellow bill. It is has a shaggy look....
The Squirrel Cuckoo (Piaya cayana) is a species of bird ranging from northwestern Mexico to northern Argentina and Uruguay, and on Trinidad. The habitat is woodland canopy and edges, second growth, hedges and semi-open areas from sea level to as high as 8200 feet in altitude, though it is not common above 4000 feet. Its name is derived from its habit of running and jumping along branches much like a squirrel. It mostly flies short distances, and glides with occasional flaps. This is a...
